Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Welcome to NOAA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative homepage!

The Great Lakes provide significant environmental, economic, and social value to the region and nation. Part of the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world and home to thousands of plant and animal species, the Great Lakes contain 95 percent of our country’s surface fresh water supply and are a primary economic driver in the region.

Recognizing the importance of the Great Lakes and the years of degradation and abuse this vital national resource has suffered, President Obama made the Great Lakes’ restoration a national priority. The resulting Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. NOAA is pleased to be one of 15 Federal agencies collaborating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement the Initiative, which began in FY2010. Work is guided by the GLRI Action Plan II, which is updated from the original Action Plan and covers Fiscal Years 2015 through 2019. The Action Plan calls for aggressive efforts to address the most significant problems facing the Great Lakes. These urgent issues have been divided into five “Focus Areas”:

Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern

Invasive Species

Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health

Habitats and Species

Foundations for Future Restoration Actions

Click on the boxes below to see NOAA’s GLRI projects in each Focus Area: